Teams:UC Davis vs.UCSanta Barbara
Records:Aggies20-30 (5-7); Gauchos25-20 (8-4)
Where:La Rue Field
When:Saturday atnoon and2p.m.; Sunday at2p.m.
Who towatch:Coming off a sophomore season33-for-158 (.209) with23runs and13RBI,Julie Stauderhas made a complete180in2008.
TheAlamedaHigh School graduate is leading the team with a.317batting average this season and is in the midst of seven-game hitting streak.
Didyouknow:This weekend willmark the final home series for the UC Davis softball teamthis season and the last home game of three seniors‘ careers:shortstopLindsey Jones,outfielderAshley Johnson andoutfielderSarah O’Neill.
Preview:The only thingUCSBthird basemanTisha Duran is missing is the red cape.
This season the super-senior leads the Big West Conference with13HRs,48RBI and a.750slugging percentage.
But maybe the Aggies have Duran’s kryptonite,the Big West strikeout leader Jessica Hancock.
For the season the junior has fanned197batters with a14-17overall record,a2.42ERA,and a conferenceleading199.1innings pitched.
Starting alongsidethe Aggie workhorse will be freshman Alex Holmes (5-13),who is fresh off a solid Apr.19start.TheSan Juan Capistrano native pitched the complete game,allowing only three runs on eight hits while striking out four.
As for the Gauchos,they are ledin the circle by junior Tami Weston (8-5),who leads the team with a3.24ERA.In her last start,Weston tossed six scoreless innings until surrenderingfive runs toLong BeachState in the seventh to take the loss.
The Aggies willhope to build on last weekend’s offensive explosion.Against UC Riverside,they scored14runs in thefinal two games of the three-game series – which just so happen to be victories.
All-time,UCSBleads the series8-2,winning last year‘sthree-gameseries,2-1,inSanta Barbara.
